The Phantom
by Hollow Mashiro
Summary: The wealthy of Britannia in Area 11 have a new enemy: the thief named The Phantom, who only targets the affluent. Britannia really shouldn't have tried messing with cross-dimensional portals.
1. Prologue

Alarms blared, red lights flashing in the noble estate. A darkly-clad figure cut across the grounds, priceless jewelry dangling from his gloved hands. The sound of hounds braying joined the shrieking alarms, growing ever louder as they approached.

The figure reached the tall fence surrounding the estate. He stopped, stymied by its height.

"We've got him now!" a security guard, watching from the security booth of the estate, crowed.

The figure took a gun out and shot out the camera the guard was watching from.

"It doesn't matter. He's cornered, either way!" the guard said to himself.

What he didn't know was that the figure smiled under his motorcycle helmet before stepping _through_ the solid fence, emerging on the other side no worse for the wear. Behind him, he could hear the dogs howling on the other side of the fence.

Time to go.

The figure ran from the estate, careful to stay cloaked in darkness. As he ran, his form faded from view, like a shadow in the light. It was just in time, too, as a car barreled up the road, followed by a platoon of soldiers in a truck. The vehicles screeched into the estate, the gate opening automatically for royalty. A purple-haired woman stepped out of the car, seething.

"Search everywhere! I want Phantom found!" Cornelia li Britannia, Second Princess of the Holy Britannian Empire, roared. Soldiers burst from the truck behind her, combing the estate.

But the darkly-clad figure was long gone by the time they found Phantom's calling card, a playing card emblazoned with an elegant silver "Phantom," resting innocently in the emptied safe.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Eight months earlier...

Seventeen year old Danny Phantom careened through the portal, yelling. It was a strange portal – more violent than he'd ever encountered – and the instant he reached the other side, his powers shorted out, transforming him from Phantom back into Fenton. He landed hard on cool tile and groaned.

Danny heard excited whispers. He looked around and saw a number of men dressed in white lab coats pointing at him. Beyond the men was what was undoubtedly a high-tech laboratory.

Danny started to panic, his heart rate speeding up. This was bad. He really, _really_ didn't want to be subjected to lots and lots of really painful experiments. He tried transforming but only got a small crackle of light before the rings fizzled out. He looked behind him; the portal was still open. He scrambled towards it.

"Don't let it get away!" someone shouted. The portal shut down just as Danny reached it, and he slammed hard into the circuit-covered wall, unlike any artificial portal he'd ever seen before.

 _Shit_ , Danny thought. He whirled around, back pressed against the wall, and saw two men dressed as soldiers moving forward, brandishing a baton and a pair of handcuffs.

"Stay away!" Danny yelled, shoving his hands forward and automatically channeling his ghostly energy from his core. To his surprise, a bright green ecto-blast erupted from his hands and slammed into one of the soldiers, sending him flying.

 _I can't transform, but my powers still work_ , Danny realized.

Danny's attack sent the lab into pandemonium. The remaining soldier rushed at him, waving the baton. Danny intangibly stepped through the baton, letting the soldier crash into the wall. The scientists were backing away while frantically calling for help.

"Test subject 002 of Code-R is hostile! We need backup!" one cried.

 _I'm nobody's test subject_ , Danny internally snarled. He let his eyes glow green and his hands become ringed in ectoplasmic flame. _I need to get out of here. But first…_

The scientists had enough sense to scramble away when Danny began blasting their equipment. While his ecto-blasts weren't as powerful in human form as in ghost form, they were enough to reduce the complex machines and computers in the lab to scrap. Danny turned and blasted where the portal had been, scorching the wall and utterly destroying the circuitry that had been there.

Mistake.

Danny barely had the sense of mind to turn intangible before the portal exploded, consuming the world in fire.

 _Why did you target the portal? Of course it was going to explode! Idiot!_ Danny berated himself as he waited for the smoke to clear.

He froze as he made out the shapes through the smog. Charred human corpses, limbs skewed awkwardly, and pained moans of the dying greeted him. He'd caused this, with his careless actions.

 _Shit_ , Danny reiterated, feeling awful. His throat clogged and he found it hard to breathe. It wasn't the first time he'd seen death – try as he might, he wasn't always in time to save the populace of Amity Park from ghosts – but it was the first time he'd caused someone else to die. He wondered if it made him like Dan.

 _No,_ Danny decided, shivering. _This was an accident. Dan killed on purpose, for fun. You're not like him._

Then Danny heard sirens in the distance. _I need to get out of here_. He turned invisible – one of the few powers he could wield as a human as deftly as he could a ghost – and ran out of the wreckage. Clear blue sky and the bright sun greeted him, along with clean, arching skyscrapers.

Danny looked around. He knew Amity Park like the back of his hand now since he'd spent so much time flying around, and where he was looked nothing like anywhere he'd seen. Amity Park didn't even _have_ skyscrapers this tall!

 _Right, portal_ , Danny groaned. _Let's figure out where I am._ He took off flying – more difficult and slower in his human form, especially while he was holding invisibility, but still doable and faster than walking – and soared upward, to the top of one of the skyscrapers. What he saw took his breath away.

A giant, sprawling metropolis greeted him in all direction. Some parts of the city seemed more derelict than others, but the sheer opulence of the wealthy area was amazing. Looming in the distance was a mountain partially covered in metal scaffolding.

 _Okay, definitely not in Kansas anymore¸_ Danny thought weakly. He knew enough about the major cities of the world that this one was totally different from anything he'd ever seen. _Am I in the future?_ He shuddered as he remembered his one other journey to the future. Hopefully, this was nothing like that disastrous trip.

He'd taken plenty of trips to the past, though, and there were a few rules he'd learned along the way. Of most important were that you needed to blend in as best you could, starting with language and appearance.

Still invisible, Danny jumped off the skyscraper and swooped down to where he could see people walking on the sidewalk. He drifted close enough to hear some conversation and was relieved to find that, like the scientists in the lab, these people spoke English. They also wore clothes similar to his own – business suits, dresses, jeans, and t-shirts. He didn't have to do anything fancy to blend in, then.

Danny soared into a dark alleyway and landed with a sigh of relief. Flying was tough in human form. Making sure no one was watching, a skill honed over years of keeping a secret identity, he turned visible again and casually sauntered out of the alleyway.

Danny wandered the city for a bit, picking up tidbits of everyday life. It seemed that this place wasn't so different from the big cities back home, at least from what he heard. He eventually spotted a bookstore and approached it, thinking it would be an ideal place to gather some information about where he'd landed.

 _Britannian Books?_ Danny wondered. _What's Britannia?_

A small bell chimed as he entered the shop, and he was greeted by a bespectacled man at the counter. "Hello, how may I help you today?" he said.

"I'm, uh, looking for history books," Danny replied.

"In the back of the shop, down the third row."

"Thanks."

Danny walked down the identified row and scanned the books. _Here we go. History of Britannia. Again, what's Britannia?_ Danny pulled the book from the shelf and began to read. The further he got, the more alarmed he became.

The United States of America didn't exist; George Washington's rebellion had failed. Instead, it was a superpower called Britannia, an analogue to Great Britain, which had conquered a number of different localities throughout the globe, naming them Areas and designating them with numbers. National policy dictated that the original occupants of the Areas, termed Numbers, were to be treated as inferior to full-blooded Britannians. The whole horrifying package was wrapped in imperialist, might-makes-right rhetoric.

Clutching the book to his chest, Danny ran back up to the front, where the shopkeeper looked up at him, alarmed.

"Where am I?" Danny asked breathlessly.

"Sir, you're in Britannian Books—"

"No, no! I mean, what city are we in? Which Area?" Danny demanded.

The shopkeeper looked at him strangely. "The Tokyo Settlement, Area 11. Are you sure you're alright, sir?"

Danny managed to nod, despite the roaring in his ears. He was in Japan? He set the history book on the counter and stumbled over to an armchair, breathing rapidly.

 _Calm… calm!_ he thought hysterically. _There's a simple explanation for this place being so different from home._

Danny thought of a lecture Clockwork had once given him on how portals worked. Apparently, the Ghost Zone was unstable enough that it occasionally formed portals to other worlds unlike the living world it was most closely tied to. These portals tended to be much more violent than the average portal, and Danny dimly recalled with horror that the passage through the artificial portal had been much rougher than usual. Danny had chalked it up to it being a bad artificial portal, but what if it wasn't? What if it was something else?

Danny concentrated and found that the familiar hum of the Ghost Zone, always present ever since he'd learned how to listen for it, was missing, replaced by a sleepy awareness so vast it had him almost falling out of the chair.

"Shit," he whispered, voice cracking. He was in an alternate reality and, unlike back in the living world of his home, he couldn't simply wait for a portal to open. Dimensional portals were extremely rare, according to the lecture. And he'd blown up the artificial portal. Which meant…

He was stuck here. Maybe forever.

Danny fought the urge to scream. He grabbed at his hair and hunched over, feeling as though he'd had the wind knocked out of him. What would happen to his family when he went missing? What about Sam and Tucker? What about Amity Park? Competent as Valerie was, she couldn't fight everything. What would Vlad do?

 _No. This isn't the end. I've been in tougher scrapes before. I'll find my way out of this one_ , Danny thought stubbornly, fighting to get himself back under control. _I need to find the lab, get whatever data I can from it, and reconstruct the portal. Easy-peasy._ He took a deep breath.

It was then that he noticed the shopkeeper on a phone. "…yes, he's seemed to have had some sort of panic attack—"

Danny had heard enough. The last thing he needed was to be carted off to the hospital, where they'd find he lacked any form of Britannian identification with him (he had his United States driver's license and some cash with him, none of which would prove to be useful here). And if worse came to worst, they'd run tests on him and find that he wasn't as human as he pretended to be.

He bolted out of the shop, ignoring the shopkeeper's calls behind him. He shoved his way through the crowd, people looking at him strangely, until he came upon another dark alley that he could duck into. He calmed his beating heart and, making sure no one would notice him, turned invisible. He flew into the air just as a pair of men dressed in uniform – either soldiers or police officers – dashed by the alley, looking for him.

Danny invisibly floated above the crowd and breathed a sigh of relief before flying off. He needed to find that lab. Using the sun as his guide, Danny returned in the direction of the lab.

What he found was less than reassuring.

A black cloud of smoke billowed from the shell of the lab, and the area was swarming with police/soldiers and firemen. There was no way he'd be able to sneak in there and get anything, even if he was invisible and intangible. Too many people would be looking for odd things. Besides, he'd blown up the lab pretty well. Not much was left.

Danny buried his head in his hands as he listened to the commotion below him. _Okay, so the easy way is out_ , he thought. He was more stubborn than people gave him credit for, though. What had the scientist said about him? Test subject 002… of Code-R? If he could find test subject 001, or the rest of Code-R, he had a chance at returning home.

 _But what am I going to do in the meantime?_ Danny moaned as his stomach growled. Flying for such an extended period of time in human form was taxing.

The police were looking for him in the wealthy part of the city, so Danny headed to the closest ruin of a city he could see to avoid them. He touched down next to a damaged high-rise and, seeing no one, released his hold on invisibility with a sigh.

 _What am I going to do now?_

* * *

 _..._ I have absolutely no excuse for this. This plot bunny just wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it. So, I'll be splitting my time among this, The Thief, and Shadowfall. Hope you guys enjoy this one! I enjoyed writing it.

-HM


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Danny wandered the ruined part of the city, wondering at the destruction he saw, left over from Britannia's invasion. Why hadn't they rebuilt this part of the city? _Oh yes,_ Danny remembered bitterly, _that would go against their racist ideals._

He saw some movement flickering in the corner of his eye and turned. There was a red-haired man who looked Britannian approaching him with two Japanese, one with deep red hair and the other with black hair.

Danny belatedly realized that venturing into the Japanese home turf, even if it was to avoid the police, may have been a stupid idea. Danny looked Britannian, from what he'd seen in the Settlement, even if he'd never identify as Britannian himself. The Japanese had to be smarting (understatement) from their loss during the invasion and were probably looking for any excuse to pick a fight with a Britannian (or at least someone who looked Britannian). Then again, it appeared their leader was Britannian, so maybe he wasn't in the frying pan.

Danny took a deep breath and let his eyes bleed green. One power he'd recently developed was the ability to sense and read auras, or emotional coronas that surrounded humans. These men seemed more curious at his presence than hostile, especially the Britannian. The red-haired Japanese seemed the most distrustful. Deeming that they wouldn't try to harm him, Danny stood his ground. His eyes flickered back to blue before the men could notice the difference.

"What's a Britannian like you doing in the ghettos?" the red-haired Japanese man asked suspiciously when they reached talking distance.

Danny's hand clenched into a fist. The Japanese were literally living in a place called a _ghetto_? How backwards was that?

"Hey! I'm talking to you, punk!" the red-haired Japanese man snapped.

"Oh, um, well," Danny scrambled. Should he tell the truth or lie?

"It's okay," the Britannian man soothed, casting a warning glance at his companion. "You should be getting home, though. The ghettos are no place for a Britannian after dark." He nodded to the setting sun.

These people held no love for Britannia… but neither did he. Maybe they would be willing to help out. "I actually don't have a home."

"A Britannian like you? Really?" the black-haired man said skeptically. Danny nodded, face flushed. It was hard, admitting he needed help from these strangers.

The Britannian man frowned. "Well, I suppose you could crash at my place for the night. But one night only!"

"Are you sure that's wise, Naoto?" the black-haired Japanese asked. Danny wondered at the Japanese name attached to a Britannian man before figuring that despite his appearance, Naoto identified more as a Japanese than as a Britannian.

Naoto studied Danny's face closely. After a few seconds, he snorted, apparently satisfied by what he found, and said, "Yeah. He won't cause trouble. Will you?"

Danny shook his head.

The red-haired Japanese man burst into quick Japanese, arguing with Naoto. Naoto calmly rebuffed him with more fluent Japanese. The red-haired Japanese grumbled, but backed off.

Then Naoto smiled warmly. "Okay, this way." He motioned with his hand to lead Danny deeper into the ghetto. Danny followed, looking around at the destruction and all the derelict buildings. It was sad, what such a fine city had been reduced to.

Along the way, they saw more Japanese people. They whispered and pointed at Danny but made no move to stop him. Naoto, for all that he looked like a Britannian, was well-known as one of the Japanese, it seemed.

"What's your name?" Naoto asked conversationally as they passed what used to be a highway overpass.

"Danny," Danny replied. "And you guys are?"

"I'm Naoto," Naoto said. "These two are Ohgi and Tamaki." He pointed first to the black-haired Japanese, then to the red-haired Japanese.

"Nice to meet you," Danny said pleasantly, nodding. Both Japanese men looked startled by the civil greeting.

 _How poorly are they treated, to react in such a way to a friendly greeting? How on earth do they live like this?_ Danny wondered bitterly, thinking of the analogue to African Americans and what they went through during the civil rights movement back home. It was something of a touchy subject to Tucker, his best friend, and Danny had learned to be conscious of such things. Being dumped into a world where such behavior was, apparently, encouraged was horrible.

"I'm sorry," Danny blurted.

"For what?" Tamaki said, eyes narrowing.

"That Britannia has taken so much from you," Danny replied sincerely.

"Are you mocking us or something?" Tamaki snapped, getting in Danny's face.

Danny didn't back down from the challenge. "No. I simply wanted to say that it is a shame what Britannia has done to your people."

Ohgi smiled and put a hand on Tamaki's shoulder to dissuade him. "Thank you, Danny. It's not very often that a Britannian such as yourself feels in such a way."

Danny flinched at the thought of being associated with the superpower that had done so much harm to these people. "I'm not Britannian. I'm American," he muttered. It was, technically, true.

Naoto looked thoughtful. "American?"

Tamaki laughed. "Well, I suppose they can't all be patriots!"

They made it to a dilapidated apartment building, ascended a couple of floors, and came to a small, run-down apartment. There were mysterious stains on the carpet and walls, the couch looked rickety, and the ceiling was sagging. But it was shelter, and Danny was just glad he wouldn't have to sleep outside tonight.

"Make yourself at home," Naoto said. "I know it isn't much."

"I'm just happy to have a roof over my head," Danny admitted. Then, his stomach growled loudly, and he blushed.

Naoto laughed. "I suppose we can whip up some dinner for you, too."

Danny ducked his head in shame. These people had so little, and yet they were still willing to help him. "Thank you."

Danny spent the evening eating warmed-up canned soup with Naoto, Ohgi, and Tamaki. Danny tried to learn more about the circumstances of the people in this world, asking questions he felt didn't show his ignorance of the world he'd landed in. He learned more about the invasion and about Britannia's racist, Darwinist policies – in particular, that the Japanese had been termed Elevens. He expressed his disgust for the system, and even Tamaki warmed up to him over the course of the evening.

"You're not so bad, for a Britannian!" he said.

"I'm American," Danny reminded.

Eventually, Naoto got out some tattered blankets from a cupboard and let Danny curl up on the carpet. Feeling as safe as he could, given that he'd been yanked into a new world, Danny fell asleep, thinking about his home back in Amity Park.

* * *

The next morning, Naoto led him to the edge of the ghetto. "You were able to get here okay, so I assume you'll be able to get out, as well," he said.

Danny nodded. Sneaking invisibly past the security checkpoints between the ghetto and the Settlement, which he'd learned about the previous night, would be no problem.

"Thank you again," Danny said.

"Sure. Do you have a place to go?"

Danny shook his head. "No. I'm not sure what I'll do from here."

Naoto thoughtfully stroked his chin as though he had a beard. "How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"Try one of the boarding schools in the Tokyo Settlement. They may be willing to take you in."

Danny made a face at the thought of going to school in an alternate reality, but nonetheless said, "Okay. I'll keep that in mind."

"And Danny?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks for reminding me that not all Britannians are so bad."

"I'm American."

Naoto laughed. "I may start using that for myself. Well, good luck."

"Thanks. Bye!" And so Danny set off toward the Settlement. He ducked into a crumbling office building to make sure no one could see him and turned invisible.

The security checkpoint was set along the entrance to the Settlement, barring the road between the ghetto and the Settlement. It looked like a toll booth from Danny's world, except it was manned with policemen. Danny invisibly crept toward the checkpoint and ducked under the gate, keeping his steps quiet. The policemen on guard didn't even notice his presence.

Child's play.

Danny stepped into an alleyway to turn visible again away from prying eyes. He began to aimlessly wander the Settlement. He wasn't sure what he was looking for, maybe a park to hang out in and call home base. Maybe he could find someone else willing to take him in for a night.

As he wandered the Settlement, he marveled at the technological advances he saw. Sweeping skyscrapers were the norm rather than the exception, and most everything seemed to be solar powered. Trees were planted along the sidewalk that well-dressed people went about their business upon. It seemed like an urban paradise – a stark contrast to the ruins of the ghetto.

Danny had met people from all walks of life during his work as a superhero, including the homeless. But at least the homeless in Amity Park had support systems to rely upon, food pantries and homeless shelters. He hadn't seen anything of the like in the ghetto. Were the Britannians really so heartless?

Danny wandered between towering buildings and well-sculpted parks for the rest of the morning into the afternoon, trying to absorb as much as he could about the world he'd landed in. He was treated to more quiet examples of racism in the Settlement between the Britannians who lived there and the few Japanese he could see. What racism there was in America had nothing on the racism in Area 11.

 _It's a paradise, so long as you're the right ethnicity_ , Danny thought bitterly as he passed through the crowd without anyone casting a derisive glance in his direction. _This is wrong._ Danny regarded humanity above all else, considering it was debatable whether or not he could call himself human. Seeing a portion of humanity being disregarded so flagrantly was awful.

He was passing through another well-maintained park when he heard someone yell, "Stinking Eleven! That was my favorite shirt!" He turned to the source of the commotion and saw a Japanese man behind a vendor's cart cowering before an irate Britannian woman dressed in a fancy shirt and slacks. The woman's shirt had a smudge on it from where the man had fumbled with an ice cream cone, its remains splattered on the ground.

"I-I'm so sorry, miss," the man stammered, hurrying to grab some napkins to pass to the woman.

The woman slapped the man with such force that the man staggered back with a cry. What was worse, a ring of spectators had formed, ogling at the scene. No one stopped to help the Japanese man or tell the Britannian woman that her behavior was out of line.

Danny had seen enough. He slipped through the crowd and grabbed the woman's hand, which was clenched in the straps of a heavy-looking purse and ready to beat upon the Japanese man. She whirled toward him, startled, and treated him to a glower.

"What? You an Eleven sympathizer or something? Look at what he did to my shirt!" she said angrily, gesturing to the stain.

"I'm sure it was an accident," Danny soothed diplomatically. He'd gotten better at calming angry people and ghosts as the years wore on, preventing a number of fights before they could start, and he'd learned to pick his words more carefully. "He's sorry, isn't he?"

The Japanese man nodded frantically, looking close to tears. "Here you go, miss," he said, offering a wad of napkins.

"There, you see? There's no need for violence," Danny soothed, though inwardly he was seething at having to treat the woman as the victim when she'd been the one who had physically assaulted the man – in broad daylight!

The woman furiously snatched the napkins and huffed haughtily. She seemed to pause at the thought of attacking someone who looked like a fellow Britannian. "Fine. Whatever. I was just leaving, anyway." She strode away with her head held high, as if she wasn't ashamed of assaulting another human being.

"Why'd you stop her? It's just an Eleven," one of the spectators whined, disappointed that the spectacle had been ended.

Danny scowled fearsomely. "He made a simple mistake. I fail to see why that deserves a beating. Why didn't the police intervene?"

Another spectator laughed. "Are you stupid or something? As if the Britannian police would stoop so low as to save a Number who deserved it from a Britannian."

Danny grit his teeth. The blatant racism and disregard of humanity was really grating. But losing his temper wouldn't help anything, either. "Well, regardless, there's nothing to see here, so why don't you all move along?"

There was some grumbling, but Danny managed to make the small crowd disperse. He turned back to the Japanese man. "Are you okay?"

"O-oh, a Britannian!" the man said, his eyes widening. He gestured with shaking hands at the ice cream stall and smiled as if one of his cheeks wasn't stained red from a vicious slap. "Would you like to buy something?"

Danny couldn't help but wince at the thought of being lumped in with the rest of the racists he'd encountered but wisely kept his mouth shut about being American. Attracting more bad attention probably wouldn't be a good thing. "It's okay!" he said instead, wondering why the man was shrugging off the offered help. "I just want to make sure you're alright."

The man's gaze dropped to the ground. "Please don't worry about me. Will you buy something?"

Danny was staggered by the man's subservience. He'd never encountered such a lack of pride for oneself before. "I-I'm sorry," Danny stammered. "I don't have any money."

"Oh," the man said.

Danny heard footsteps approaching from behind before a female voice spoke in his ear. "Here, I'll pay for him," she said, holding out some colored bills.

Danny turned and was met by a Britannian girl his age with wavy blond hair. She wore what looked like a uniform in pale yellow. She smiled at him as the Japanese man took her money. "That was quite a brave thing you did."

Well, Danny supposed, there had to be some non-judgmental Britannians among them. "It was nothing."

She laughed. "Oh, it was something, all right. Your crowd control is pretty good. What's your name?"

"I'm Danny," he said as he took a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

"I'm Milly Ashford. Nice to meet you," she said, taking a chocolate cone. "What school are you from?"

Danny almost said Casper High before he realized that the school probably didn't exist here. "I'm not in school," he said instead.

"Really? How old are you?" she asked, eyes glinting.

"Seventeen," Danny replied warily. What was this girl getting at?

"Oh? Did you graduate early?"

"No… I'm just… not in school."

"Really?" she questioned, smiling like a cat that had caught the canary. "You should be. Are you interested?"

"Um," Danny said. How was he supposed to respond to that? He wasn't particularly interested in going to school in an alternate universe, but something told him that would be the wrong thing to say. And hadn't Naoto said something about the schools being able to take him in? "…Sure?"

"Then I, Milly Ashford, am officially poaching you for Ashford Academy!"

Danny shook his head. What had he gotten himself into?

* * *

We finally meet some canon characters! We'll get some of their reactions to Danny next chapter. Also, I added a prologue to this, so you may want to go back and read that. Thanks for all the favs and follows!

-HM


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Milly side-eyed the boy who was walking next to her. He was wearing a well-worn t-shirt and jeans, a stark contrast to the majority of the Britannian's pressed and new formal attire. To be honest, with his black hair and old clothes, she'd thought he was an Eleven at first. But then he intervened on behalf of an Eleven, and she saw that he was a Britannian… albeit a poorly dressed one. She wondered why he was in such bad shape. It was obvious he hadn't bathed in a couple of days, judging by the greasy sheen of his hair.

Beyond that, he had a pensive frown upon his face and had seemed taken aback by her kindness. Maybe he was used to being looked down upon. Maybe he came from a lower class neighborhood. But even the poorest Britannians lived better than how Danny looked, and people his age were all required to go to school…

"…Did you need something?" Danny asked.

Whoops. She'd been caught staring. Danny was perceptive. "No, nothing," Milly deflected.

She looked away, but her thoughts were still very much on the teen beside her. She was an excellent judge of character, so regardless of his perhaps unsavory background, she was reasonably sure he was a good, kind person, like Lelouch. He'd fit right in at Ashford Academy, she was sure.

He wasn't the first charity case she'd picked up, after all.

"So, tell me about yourself," Milly prompted. She wanted to know more about the mystery boy who'd stuck his neck out for an Eleven.

"Um, well, I like astronomy," Danny said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Go on."

"Erm… my favorite food is spaghetti and my least favorite is roasted turkey. Also, I have some experience with martial arts."

"Ooh, interesting! Tell me more."

As they made their way through the Settlement, taking trains (which Milly paid for) and walking, Milly coaxed more and more information from the surprisingly cagey teen. He was certainly keeping some secrets, but she'd find them out in due time. Milly Ashford, head of the student body at Ashford Academy, always found out such things, be it through harmless coercion or sheer bullheaded stubbornness.

Finally, they made it back to Ashford Academy, one of the largest private schools in Area 11. It was certainly one of the most magnificent, with a beautiful campus and a huge number of facilities for students.

"I should warn you, I don't have any money," Danny said faintly, gaping at the huge school in front of him. He'd hardly seen such extravagance from the mansions back home, let alone the public (or even private) schools.

"I did hear you say that to the vendor," Milly reassured. "I'm not worried about tuition; the school has a dedicated pool of money for cases such as yourself. Come on, let's go meet with my grandfather. He's the headmaster of the school."

"Sounds good to me." Danny still sounded a tad bit dazed. Milly's lower-class background theory was looking more and more likely.

"Madame President!" someone called. Danny turned to see a blue-haired youth running up to them. "Madame President, where have you been? The Student Council meeting's about to start!"

"Sorry, Rivalz," Milly said. "Something came up. Tell our dear vice president to hold down the fort until I can get there?"

Rivalz eyed Danny suspiciously. "Uh-huh, sure. Who's this guy?"

"This is Danny, the newest member of our student body!" Milly announced.

"Eh?" Rivalz said.

"I was out wandering the city when I came across him. Isn't he marvelous?" Milly said, as though Danny were a prize.

"Uhm, sure. It's nice to meet you, Danny," Rivalz said.

"Nice to meet you too," Danny replied.

"Aww, aren't you two polite?" Milly cooed. "Like proper gentlemen!"

"Rivalz!" an orange-haired girl some distance away called. "Hurry up!"

"That's Shirley," Rivalz said. "I've got to go. Some of us have important business to attend to. See you later, Madame President! Don't take too long!" Rivalz ran off to the orange-haired girl, and they both disappeared into one of the buildings on campus.

"Let's go! Lelouch will get cranky if I keep him waiting for too long," Milly said, grabbing Danny's hand. It was surprisingly cool and dry. Milly idly wondered if Danny had bad circulation.

Milly led Danny into one of the buildings and up a flight of stairs to the headmaster's office. She knocked on the door and called, "Grandfather! I've got another one!"

The door opened to reveal an aging man with a moustache. "Another one, Milly?" he said genially. "When are you going to stop picking up strays?"

"When they stop being brave and heroic enough to rescue an Eleven," Milly replied.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. This one's got a good personality. Trust me."

"Well, okay then. I suppose the student body can benefit from one extra student," Ruben smiled.

Danny looked bewildered at the ease at which he was accepted by the headmaster. Milly giggled at his expression.

"Well, come in, my boy," Ruben said before gesturing to a chair in front of a mahogany desk. "Have a seat." Danny did as was instructed. "I'll take care of him from here, Milly. Why don't you go to the Student Council? A meeting has started, after all."

"Okay, Grandfather. See you later!" Milly bounced out of the office, excited. She couldn't wait to tell the Student Council about her newest acquisition!

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the office, Danny sweated. How was he going to enroll in this fancy school without Britannian identification or any money? This was starting to look like a worse and worse idea. He should have said no when Milly offered to take him to her school.

"Relax. I won't bite," the old man chuckled. "I'm Ruben Ashford. What's your name?"

Maybe he could still talk his way out of this. "I'm Danny. And I think there's been a misunderstanding. I'm really not fit to enroll in this school."

"Nonsense. If my granddaughter likes you, you'll fit right in."

"I have no money."

Ruben's eyebrow raised. "We've got a trust fund just for cases like you. All you need to do is fill out some forms, and you're squared away."

This was such a horrible idea, but Danny couldn't speak up to voice his disagreement. The Ashfords, it seemed, had a penchant for steamrollering over any and all objections. "I don't have a place to stay," he tried to counter weakly.

Something firm settled into Ruben's gaze. "I won't leave a young man my granddaughter has vouched for out in the streets. We have dorms for students that you can live in."

Danny flinched. He was getting nowhere in this exchange.

"Here," Ruben said, sliding forward a packet of paperwork. "Fill this out."

Danny sighed. He'd been outmatched. At least Ruben was gracious about it; Vlad would gloat about one of Danny's defeats for forever. "Do you have a pen?" Danny asked.

Danny filled out the paperwork, taking his time to make sure he was doing it right and not giving anything away about his less-than-normal citizenship of this world. The paperwork asked for basic demographic information, which was simple enough to fill in. There were some questions to test his general academic aptitude, most of which Danny could answer. It seemed high school education here was similar to high school education back home, though the history was different (Danny was glad he'd skimmed that history book at the bookstore) and the math and science a little more advanced.

Then he got to the last page of the paperwork and Danny stopped. It was asking him for some form of Britannian identification. Birth certificate, driver's license, _something_. Danny, being an American citizen, had nothing.

"Something wrong?" Ruben asked, noticing that Danny had stopped.

Might as well. "I don't have any identification," Danny admitted. "I don't have a driver's license or passport, and I have no idea where my birth certificate is." (He did, in fact, have a driver's license and passport for America, and his birth certificate was safely stored somewhere in Fentonworks, but those would hardly do him any good in an alternate universe.)

Ruben was silent for a few moments. "So you have no form of Britannian identification, no money, and no place to go?" he asked incredulously, his expression harsh.

Danny nodded uneasily. Would the police be called on him? Not that he couldn't escape, but he'd rather not have a warrant out for his arrest.

Ruben's expression softened into something sympathetic. "My boy, do you really think I'd turn a case such as yourself out onto the streets? It's obvious you have no home and no family. You genuinely need help. Who am I to not extend a hand?"

Danny couldn't believe it. Despite their stubborn streak, the Ashfords seemed overwhelmingly altruistic. He doubted that schools back in his home dimension would be so welcoming. "Thank you, sir," he said humbly.

"You're quite welcome. Now, let's make up some form of identification for you, shall we?"

"…Isn't that illegal?"

Ruben put a finger to his lips. "Don't tell anyone."

* * *

Naoto flopped back on his worn couch, exhausted. He'd spent the entire day keeping his ear to the ground, waiting to hear of a story of a Britannian boy arrested between the ghetto and the Settlement, or a story of a Britannian accosted by some unruly Elevens. (It wouldn't be the first time Japanese kindness was twisted into such falsehood.) But he heard nothing. It seemed that Danny was good on his word to sneak out of the ghetto undetected. And he apparently didn't have anything against the Japanese, which was also a plus. As the leader of a resistance group, attention in his civilian identity's direction was always a bad thing.

Naoto smiled. It was good to be reminded that not all Britannians were bad. It was unfortunate that most of his experience was usually with the corrupted Britannians.

"You hear anything?" Ohgi asked, mixing up some instant ramen.

"No. Danny hasn't said anything about us. He seems like a good kid, if a bit poor for a Britannian. Excuse me, an American. I think I'm going to call myself that from now on."

Ohgi snorted. "Just be careful who you tell that to, oh wise leader. Don't want your Britannian identity getting compromised."

Naoto shot Ohgi a look. "Duh. …Maybe I should have offered to let him stay more than one night. I think he was telling the truth when he said he didn't have anywhere else to go."

"He'll be okay. He seemed like a tough kid."

"You're right… Oh well. We'll probably never see him again."

* * *

Danny found that enrollment at Ashford Academy as a charity case entitled him to three new uniforms – black pants, white shirt, black jacket with gold trim – one pair of black dress shoes, and one dorm room (a single – he was enrolling late and so was entitled to one of the empty rooms left over). He was also given a backpack, two notebooks, a planner, and miscellaneous other school supplies. His textbooks were provided for him, delivered directly to his dorm room. He was given a swipe card to pay for food on campus. Finally – and most magnanimously, in his opinion – he was given a small allowance for each month that he could use to buy things for himself in the city.

Danny had gone from having nothing in this world to having all his basic needs met and then some. Naoto had been right about the schools. Or maybe Ashford Academy was just special. Regardless, it was reassuring that he wouldn't have to worry about his basic needs for a while.

There was a knock at the door. Danny reluctantly got up from his bed and opened the door.

A black-haired and curiously purple-eyed teen about his age was standing outside. Just from a glance, Danny could tell that this teen was elegant and refined. His posture radiated confidence in himself.

"Hi," Danny said. "Who are you?"

The teen smiled. "I'm Lelouch Lamperouge. It's nice to meet you."

* * *

We finally meet Lelouch! Now that the groundwork is set, the action should pick up in the next chapter or two.

Also, I have no idea how Tokyo Settlement works, with those tier thingies Lelouch used during the Black Rebellion... Oh well.

Thanks for the favs, follows, and reviews!

-HM


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Lelouch eyed the teen in front of him. He had black hair (that hadn't been recently washed), blue eyes, and a solid build. He was still wearing the worn casual clothes Milly had brought him in. He regarded Lelouch with an open but slightly wary expression.

Lelouch couldn't tell if this teen was a threat or not, based on that information. He trusted Milly's judgment. It seemed truly like Milly's lower-class theory was true and that Danny was all that he seemed on the surface. Still, Lelouch had to make sure. He was a tad bit paranoid about Nunnally's safety.

"Would you like to accompany me on a tour of campus?" he asked. If he could observe Danny for an extended period of time, he could determine whether or not to trust the teen.

"Isn't it a bit late? Won't the school be closed?" Danny asked.

Lelouch waved a key card in front of Danny. "As a member of the Student Council, I am granted access to all areas of the school, at all hours. Getting around won't be a problem."

Danny shrugged. "Okay, then, if you insist. …By the way, my name is Danny. It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too. Now, what's your schedule?"

Lelouch led Danny all around the campus, showing off the various academic and athletic facilities the school had to offer. They had a swimming pool for the swim club, an arena for the equestrian club, and a gymnasium for the gymnastics club, as well as spaces for more traditional sports like basketball and soccer. Danny seemed to be in awe of the sheer size of the grounds and the facilities. After finishing the general tour, Lelouch examined Danny's schedule and took him around to all the classrooms. They shared many of their classes together; Ruben had put Danny in the same grade as Lelouch.

All throughout the tour, Lelouch watched Danny. His reactions and words seemed genuine, though he was cagey about anything involving his past. It wasn't a strike against him; Lelouch himself was reticent about his past. No, he was likely embarrassed by his previous living situation (or lack of one, if what Milly had surmised was true).

Danny was a normal, albeit lower-class, kid who had nothing. It was natural he'd be a bit wary, Lelouch thought.

Lelouch's smiles became a bit more genuine as he reached his conclusion. Danny was nothing to fear.

He wondered which club Danny would join.

* * *

Danny spent the next few days adjusting to life at Ashford. He was something of a novelty to the students, having come from what they thought was a lower-class background. There were also rumors flying that he was part of the mafia, for some reason, though Danny quickly learned that anyone worth knowing didn't believe such falsehoods.

The first few nights, Danny had laid awake on his bed, unhappily thinking of his home. Sam, Tucker, Jazz, his parents… even Dash and Paulina. Even the ghosts. The break from ghost fighting was nice, but he missed his home something fierce. He could admit to himself that he was homesick, though he was able to overcome those feelings more and more each day.

He wasn't sure if he would call his acquaintanceship with Lelouch a friendship just yet. Lelouch seemed like a laid-back slacker on the surface, but there was an undercurrent of wariness and aloofness that kept many of the students at arm's length, despite his popularity as the Ice Prince of Ashford.

Milly Ashford, on the other hand, was definitely a friend. She went out of her way to make sure he was adjusting alright to the changes in his life. And somehow, between checking up on him, she managed to run the school like a conductor directed an orchestra.

Some of the other students had also tried to befriend him, but Danny sensed from their auras that they were more curious than intent on genuinely befriending him, and he brushed them off coolly. He didn't want friends that were anything less than genuine, and it was probably for the best that he not get too attached to this place, anyway.

Danny spent a lot of time studying, as he didn't have random ghost attacks in this world to distract him and was behind on the curriculum, especially history and math. The diagnostic questions in the paperwork he'd filled out had nothing on the actual material he had to learn.

One thing that worried him, however, was that he couldn't transform into his ghostly counterpart, Danny Phantom. He'd tried back on the first night, and the rings had fizzled uselessly at his waist before dissipating. His ghostly core was intact and functioning normally – he could feel it humming in his chest, unencumbered by anything negatively impacting, like the Plasmius Maximus – but he couldn't trigger the change in his cells that would turn him into a ghost. He couldn't figure out what the problem was until the third time he'd tried, when the rings had actually sparked brightly before fizzing out. He'd again felt the overwhelming awareness that had replaced the hum of the Ghost Zone, this world's equivalent of an afterlife. Whatever afterlife this world had, his ghost form was incompatible with it, and it was blocking his ghost form from manifesting properly. Danny was glad that the ectoplasm his body generated was a physical substance instead of a purely metaphysical one, otherwise he might have been left without powers entirely.

Aside from the worry about his powers, however, it seemed that the most important thing to occupy his attention was his homework. Which was bad, because he still had an investigation into Code-R to run. This world's equivalent of the Internet had turned up nothing, so Danny was going to have to start using unconventional means to get information. He could probably wander the city on the weekends. First, he needed to figure out who the people in power were…

* * *

"Hey, Danny. Did you know it's in the school rules that every student has to be a part of a club?" Milly Ashford said mischievously on the third day of Danny's new life at Ashford.

"No, I didn't," Danny replied. "What options are there?"

"Well, there's the astronomy club! You said you were interested in astronomy."

And Danny was… back home. He'd gone stargazing on the roof of his dorm the first night here, and he'd noted that the constellations were completely different. It was likely he'd only make a fool of himself. So he shook his head.

"No?" Milly sounded surprised. "Well, what about the Student Council?"

"Aren't I a bit too new to be a part of the Student Council?"

"Nonsense! You'll fit right in. Come to a meeting and see what it's all about."

So Danny reluctantly agreed to go to the Student Council meeting that afternoon. To be honest, he didn't want to join a club – it would mean less time he could spend looking for Code-R – but it sounded like he didn't have a choice. Once Milly got an idea in her head, only something cataclysmic could dissuade her.

That afternoon, he entered the club room with Milly to see an eclectic collection of students. Lelouch was there, as was – Rivalz and Shirley, Danny thought their names were? – and a shy, green-haired girl whose name, he quickly learned, was Nina.

And he found… he actually enjoyed hanging out with this group of people. Milly was her usual bubbly, dramatic, sly self, and she often clashed with Lelouch, who on the surface seemed to be focused on work but really had a desert-dry sense of humor and a cool head to combat everything Madame President threw his way. There was Rivalz, who seemed like a loyal, genuine friend, and Shirley, who tried to keep them all in line but wasn't assertive enough to succeed. Finally, there was Nina, the shy intellectual who was absorbed in her research but was always willing to lend a hand to help with homework. And in turn, they seemed to welcome him with open arms, including him in the proceedings and enjoying his witty sarcasm. It was a novel feeling; he was used to being excluded and shunned outside his friend group at Casper High. It was nice.

"So, have I convinced you?" Milly asked after the meeting, eyes sparkling.

Danny sighed. "Okay. You got me. I'll join the Student Council."

Milly clapped her hands happily. "Excellent! We'll prepare the welcome party right away."

"…Welcome party?"

* * *

The welcome party, as it turned out, was held in the Student Council's private clubhouse. To Danny's annoyance, Milly had arranged the entire thing beforehand, as though she'd known he would join the Student Council.

"It would have been a general welcome-to-Ashford party if you hadn't accepted, but I had a feeling you would," Milly said with a wink when Danny asked her.

"Get used to this," Rivalz advised, overhearing Danny, "because Milly really likes throwing parties."

Madame President had really gone all out. The clubhouse was decorated, and multiple tables full of food were arrayed through the room. It seemed extravagant just for their small group, but Danny had no problems believing that Milly liked to go overboard. Danny mingled some more with the students in the Student Council, learning more about their lives and their activities.

Midway through the party, door opened, and a girl in a wheelchair with closed eyes entered the room. "That's Nunnally, Lelouch's sister," Shirley introduced.

"Hello?" Nunnally said. "Is the new member of the Student Council here?"

"He is," Lelouch confirmed, gesturing for Danny to approach his sister.

"Hi, I'm Danny," Danny said, kneeling so he wasn't looking down at Nunnally. Her eyes stayed closed, however. Was she blind?

"I'm Nunnally."

Nunnally held out her hand expectantly. Slightly nervous, though he wasn't sure why, Danny put his hand in Nunnally's smaller one. She shook his hand.

"Are you okay, Danny?" Nunnally asked, sounding worried. "Your hand is cold and your pulse is weak. Do you have a heart condition?"

Danny's eyes went wide. How had she been able to tell that his heart beat more slowly since he was a half ghost? "I'm okay," he replied weakly.

"Are you sure? I think you should go to a doctor," she said.

"It's a chronic condition," Danny hastily said. He was, technically, telling the truth. "Nothing to worry about."

Nunnally frowned before letting go of his hand. "If you say so."

"Eh? You have a condition?" Shirley said worriedly. "Why didn't you tell us, Danny?"

Milly got directly in Danny's face, studying him. She grabbed his wrist forcefully, searching for his pulse.

"I'm fine, guys," Danny reassured nervously, pulling his wrist from Milly's grasp.

"Are you sure?" Lelouch questioned smoothly. "There's a doctor I can highly recommend if you need it."

Danny shook his head. "I'm really okay, guys. Don't worry about me."

"We're your friends. We're supposed to worry about you. It's kind of in the job description," Rivalz dryly asserted.

Danny felt his breath seize in his chest. His eyes flickered briefly green as he sensed the auras around him. There was worry and genuine camaraderie, the likes of which he'd only felt from Sam and Tucker. Despite knowing him for such a short time, these people were truly attached to him.

This was bad. Danny would have to leave sooner or later, and he'd wind up hurting all these wonderful people. Except… he would be miserable if he went through the school alone. He was already feeling pressure from needing to find Code-R; couldn't he afford to be selfish just this once?

Instead of pushing them away, like he should have, Danny smiled and said, "Thanks, guys. I'm telling the truth. It's a chronic thing that doesn't really affect me, so please don't worry."

Milly frowned. "Okay. Fine. I believe you. Is there anything else about your health we should know? Ashford Academy takes the health and safety of its students very seriously."

 _Yeah, I'm not totally human._ "No," Danny lied.

"Alright, problem solved!" she said, suddenly cheery again. "Let's get back to the party!"

* * *

Sorry, this is a tad bit short. Just wrapping up the preliminary stuff.

Heheh, Danny's good at hiding his secrets if Lelouch doesn't suspect him!

Yes, I did nerf Danny, otherwise he'd be throwing around Knightmares like hacky sacks, and that's just a little too powerful for this world. Besides, I think it will be interesting how he learns to work around the restrictions. Does my explanation for why he can't transform make sense?

Okay, action starts next chapter. Promise. See you tomorrow!

-HM


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The weekend after his induction into the Student Council, Danny stood outside the Viceroy's Palace, examining it closely. If anyone would have information on Code-R, it would likely be the Viceroy, Clovis la Britannia. Getting an official audience with him would be next to impossible, but Danny didn't have ghost powers for nothing. He would slip through the gate, keep invisible until he found the Viceroy… and then what? Overshadow him? One power that had developed was that he could look at the memories of people he was overshadowing, but Danny couldn't do that when he was overshadowing in human form. Listen in until Clovis talked about Code-R? But then, it would take an enormous amount of luck and probably a lot of time before Danny would hear something of use, and he couldn't maintain his invisibility forever. Overshadow someone else and ask about Code-R? If he overshadowed someone in the know, he'd look suspicious, but if he overshadowed someone who didn't, he'd probably get an innocent person shot (if his conclusions about the secret nature of Code-R and the absolute power of the royal family to sanction unwarranted executions were correct). His only viable option was to sneak around invisibly and find some evidence, either in paperwork or on a computer.

First, though, he had to find a spot near the Viceroy's Palace that wasn't either crawling with guards or covered by security cameras. Being caught on camera using his powers would, without question, be very bad. Danny eventually found a small, hidden alcove to duck into, and he turned invisible. His maximum time for holding invisibility in human form was an hour, so he would have to be quick. He would likely have to return to the Viceroy's Palace multiple times before he found anything.

Danny made his way back to the gate of the Viceroy's Palace and briefly triggered his intangibility, allowing him to slip through the fence. Danny shuddered as he passed through it; it was electrified and sent small tingles down his spine. He ran across the well-manicured lawn to the front door of the Viceroy's Palace and intangibly slipped inside.

The inside of the Viceroy's Palace was _huge._ He'd seen how big it was on the outside, but he hadn't fully appreciated its size until he was forced to sneak around, trying to find anything useful.

One skill that had been honed over the course of his explorations of the Ghost Zone was map-making. Danny kept a firm internal map of the Viceroy's Palace as he explored and resolved to make a physical map once he got back to Ashford so he could keep track of which places he'd been to.

Most of the rooms he found were offices, occupied by a number of workers. Danny doubted they would know anything useful; they seemed pretty low in the chain of command. He also found a grand ballroom and a kitchen, neither of which were helpful.

One thing he noticed about the Viceroy's Palace was that there were always people around. Office workers, nobles, and soldiers all bustled about, making Danny's job of staying undetected a bit difficult. It would be bad if he bumped into someone and they couldn't see what they'd bumped into; they would start wondering about invisible people roaming the halls. All the people around also meant that Danny had to stay invisible at all times; if the palace hadn't been so crowded, he would have been able to drop the invisibility when there wasn't anyone around to extend the time he could stay undetected.

After a short half-hour of exploring, Danny began making his way back to the entrance of the Viceroy's Palace. He would need to come here a lot in order to find anything about Code-R. Still, he'd gotten some of the preliminary exploring out of the way, so that was a plus.

"I expect you to take care of it, Bartley!" someone roared as Danny detoured through what looked like an art studio. There was a handsome man with wheat-gold shoulder-length hair sitting on a stool and holding a paintbrush. The tranquil setup, however, was ruined by the thunderous scowl on the man's face.

"Of course, your highness," a bald man wearing a military uniform whimpered. Danny abruptly recognized Clovis la Britannia from the pictures he'd seen online and who was probably one of his top advisors. Though he felt his strength was flagging, Danny thought he could hold the invisibility for just a little while longer, enough to find out what the prince was talking about.

"I want all records of Code-R sealed! It's bad enough that Test Subject 002 escaped. I want it found!" Clovis snapped.

Danny's breath caught in his throat. Here, he thought he'd have to return to the palace numerous times to find out what he needed, but the prince was talking about Code-R right in front of him! What luck! Then he felt a flash of indignation. He wasn't an 'it'! (He also idly wondered how the two men before him would react if they knew that what they were looking for was in the room with them, eavesdropping.)

"Right away, your highness," Bartley affirmed, sweating. "I already have my best men looking for it."

"That's not good enough! I want results!"

"Yes, your highness!" Bartley saluted. "We will have the creature found within the next week."

Danny had to stop himself from snorting. Fat chance he'd let them find him.

"Also," Bartley said hesitantly, "many of our operations are taking us into the ghettos. It's where the creature most likely fled. What are we going to do about the Elevens who see us searching?"

"I don't care about the Elevens," Clovis snarled. "If they get too curious, kill them."

Danny's blood ran cold. The Japanese's own (albeit reluctant) leader was threatening to kill them for simply being an inconvenience! How dare he? Danny took a step forward and almost did something rash, like yell at Clovis and betraying his presence, before he got ahold of himself. He couldn't reveal himself and risk being sent to a laboratory simply for making his voice heard, likely ineffectually. But he couldn't stand by and let this travesty continue unchecked, either. What should he do?

He couldn't overshadow Clovis, no matter how much he wanted to, and get him to countermand the order. He'd used too much energy maintaining invisibility. Already, he was sweating from the strain of holding invisibility for so long, and he wasn't even back outside yet.

…Was he really so selfish that he'd let a bunch of people die just to keep himself safe?

No. There was always a chance Danny could still make it out unnoticed even if he did use some energy overshadowing the Viceroy. He prepared to use his power to overshadow Clovis…

…and then he noticed that the room was empty. While he'd been deliberating in a corner, Clovis and Bartley had left the room to continue their discussion elsewhere. He had no idea where they'd gone, caught up as he had been in his moral reasoning. Danny cursed out loud, glad that there was no one to hear him. What should he do instead?

What would Sam do in this situation? She would have yelled at Clovis no matter the consequences when he said to kill the Japanese. Tucker's less daring voice, on the other hand, advised him to make it out in one piece so he could live to fight another day. Besides, he knew some Japanese people. He could sneak back into the ghetto and warn Naoto and the others so that they would know to keep out of the soldiers' way.

But the angry, petty part of him still wanted to do something defiant. What to do, what to do… Somewhere, a lightbulb flashed on, and coincidentally, Danny had an idea at the same time. He approached the canvas that the prince had been working on and examined it. It was an interesting piece of a fiery sunset over the ocean with the Settlement's lights twinkling on one side. The painting was almost finished, from what he could tell. And best of all, it was small enough that he could fit the short end under his arm. Danny grabbed the painting and spread his invisibility to cover it, heedless of the smudges on his hand and arm from the wet paint, and hightailed it out of the art studio.

He ran out of the Viceroy's Palace, staggering under the strain of holding the invisibility for so long on himself and also covering the painting. Instead of phasing through the fence, he followed a car through the gate of the palace so he wouldn't have to turn intangible and sprinted for the hidden alcove he'd first turned invisible in.

Danny barely made it in time before his invisibility failed, dumping both him and the painting back into the visible world. He slumped to the ground, gasping for breath. That had been far too close for comfort.

* * *

Danny hid for a few hours in the alcove, long enough to get his breath back and recover some of his energy. It was truly hidden from prying eyes, as no one bothered him while he was sitting on the ground, resting.

Instead of turning himself and the painting invisible when he left the alcove, Danny just turned the painting invisible. It wouldn't be a good thing if he was caught with one of Prince Clovis's stolen original pieces, but he couldn't keep himself invisible for much longer, either.

He took the train all the way back to Ashford to hide the stolen painting. Now that Danny had run off with it, he realized a fatal part of his plan in that he didn't know what to do with the painting now that he had it. Dumping it in the ghetto would no doubt bring Clovis's murderous soldiers down on the innocent civilians, and it would just be returned to Clovis if he left it in the Settlement, which defeated the point of taking it in the first place. Maybe he should just toss it into the ocean and be done with it.

He sighed in relief once he was back in the dorms. His core ached from holding invisibility for so long in the Viceroy's Palace, and then for more time during the ride to Ashford Academy. He stashed the painting in his dorm, washed the paint off his arm (and resented that he'd smudged some of the paint; the painting would be worth less now), and flopped onto his bed. To be truthful, he wanted to sleep until the next day, but it wasn't even sundown yet, and he still had some Japanese to warn about Clovis's decree.

He hopped on the trains once again and took them as close as he could to the ghetto he'd met Naoto in, the Shinjuku ghetto. He managed to hold invisibility long enough to sneak past the checkpoint into the ghetto. Thankfully, he remembered the way to Naoto's apartment. The Japanese didn't bother him, remembering him from the other day when he'd been in the ghetto.

He made it without incident to Naoto's door and knocked. It was Ohgi who wound up opening the door, surprised at Danny's presence.

"Danny! What are you doing here?" he asked.

Danny fidgeted. "Well, I was in the Viceroy's Palace earlier, and I heard Prince Clovis say something about killing the Japanese who get in the way of his men who are searching for something. I came to warn you."

Ohgi's eyes widened. "In that case, please come in. You should talk with Naoto."

Danny was admitted to the ratty apartment. It looked the same as it had the last time he'd been there.

"Naoto!" Ohgi called before saying something in Japanese. Danny caught his name somewhere in there.

"Say what?" Naoto said in English before stumbling into view. He looked exhausted. "Danny. Why did you come back here?"

"I need to warn you about something." And so Danny proceeded to tell Naoto about all he'd heard in the Viceroy's Palace, spinning it so that it sounded like Clovis had just been lax on security instead of him invisibly eavesdropping.

Naoto frowned. "That is troubling. It's nothing terribly new, however. The Britannian soldiers take every excuse they can to inflict brutality upon the Japanese."

Danny choked. "How do they get away with it?"

"The Numbers are inferior to the Britannians, and therefore can be treated as inferior," Naoto said bitterly.

Danny buried his head in his hands. What kind of dystopic alternate reality had he landed in, anyway? Even after a week of living here, he was still stunned by the inhumane treatment of the Japanese the Britannians could get away with. He wished he could do something about it. But unable to transform, what could he do with his powers so weakened?

"How did you get an invitation to the Viceroy's Palace, anyway?" Naoto cut into Danny's thoughts.

"Oh, uh, well—" Danny stumbled, thrown by the abrupt change in topic. He hadn't expected to be grilled on how he'd gotten the information, just about the information itself.

"You snuck in," Naoto breathed, disturbingly perceptive. "How? It's got the tightest security in all of Area 11!"

Discomforted that the man could see through him so easily, Danny shook his head. "Does it matter? No one else can use the method I used."

"I suppose not, then," Naoto mused. "Thank you for warning us. Is there anything we can do for you?"

Danny started to shake his head before he stopped. "There is actually one thing," he said slowly. Naoto held no love for Britannia, so he wouldn't turn Danny in to the police. He'd taken in Danny when he'd needed it a week ago, and his aura told Danny he was a secretive individual. He could probably help. "Hypothetically, if one had gotten one's hands on one of Prince Clovis's paintings, what should one do with it?"

"You stole a painting from the Viceroy? How?" Ohgi asked in disbelief.

Naoto held a hand up. "Well, if one was looking to sell this hypothetical painting… I suppose I could set up a meeting between one and a black market dealer."

Ohgi made a noise of protest before he started speaking in Japanese. Naoto answered him calmly. Danny wondered what they were talking about.

Finally, Naoto said, "Come back here tomorrow at 1:00. Let me see that painting and then let's see what we can do with it."

* * *

This one's a decent length! Hope you enjoy! Also, I'm glad you guys agree with me that nerfing Danny was the right choice for this fic. Thanks for the favs, follows, and reviews! Feel free to feed the author reviews; it keeps her motivated.

-HM


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The next day, Danny snuck back into Shinjuku ghetto, carrying the painting wrapped in paper he'd filched from Ashford's art studios. He was eyed curiously and greedily by some of the inhabitants of the ghetto, but after driving off a group of kids who wanted the bulky thing he was carrying by fighting them all at once and beating them (Danny thanked years of ghost fighting for his martial abilities), he was left alone.

Naoto ushered him into his apartment once Danny made it. "So, this is it?" he asked, unwrapping the painting. He whistled when he saw it. "Looks like a Clovis original, all right! Can't believe you managed to make off with one."

Danny fidgeted. "So, what are you going to do with this thing?"

Naoto winked. "I know a guy. But first, I want you to put these on…" He held out a baggy black hoodie and a black bandana. "Put the hood up and tie the bandana around your face," Naoto advised as Danny took the clothes and started putting them on. "It's probably for the best if he doesn't know your face."

"I can't speak any Japanese," Danny admitted, voice muffled by the bandana. "Won't that be a problem?"

"Let me do the talking," Naoto assured. "You won't come to any harm while you're with me." He examined Danny; his raven hair was completely hidden by the hood, his blue eyes were in shadow – you couldn't necessarily tell they weren't almond-shaped at first glance – and the rest of his face was completely covered by the bandana. Jeans poked out from underneath the hoodie, suitably nondescript. Perfect.

"Lastly," Naoto said, "it would probably be for the best if you had an alias, just as an extra precaution. What do you think?"

Danny grinned mischievously under the bandana, his eyes crinkling. He had the perfect name. "Phantom. Call me Phantom."

* * *

They took Naoto's old beater of a car to a dilapidated dock in the ghetto. Phantom nervously looked around; there was a myriad of places that ambushers could be hiding, waiting to attack. The place looked like a giant trap. Then again, he was probably being paranoid. Naoto's aura spoke of confidence, so despite how sketchy it looked, they were likely in the right place.

Naoto led him into a warehouse by the dock. Inside were stacks of slumping crates, damaged from the weather. A Japanese man was waiting on the other side of the warehouse, fingering a gun.

"That's Yuasa," Naoto whispered before he switched to Japanese to speak with the black market dealer. " _Hello, Yuasa._ "

" _Naoto. What's up?_ " Yuasa said. " _What do you need? It's not like you to call for a meeting outside our normal time._ "

" _We have a potentially valuable item that we need to get rid of. Would you be willing to take it off our hands?_ "

" _Oh? What is this item? And who's your friend?_ " Yuasa leaned forward, eyes glinting. He'd been hooked.

" _This is Phantom._ Phantom, show him the painting," Naoto instructed.

Yuasa hissed. " _What the hell, Naoto? He can't speak Japanese? Don't tell me he's Britannian._ " Phantom paused in unwrapping the painting, hearing the vitriol in his voice.

" _He's American, not Britannian. He can be trusted_ ," Naoto said.

" _American? What the hell is that? Are you mocking me?_ " Yuasa pointed his gun at Phantom. Phantom flinched and had to restrain the urge to turn intangible automatically in reaction. He watched the man's trigger finger and aura like a hawk. He would survive being shot, even in the heart in human form – a perk of being half-ghost, which he knew about thanks to one particularly unfortunate incident that he didn't like to think about – but he really didn't want people to know he wasn't normal. That would lead to all kinds of nasty consequences. If the man actually pulled the trigger, he'd turn intangible – he could do it with the split second's warning between when the trigger started to be pulled and when the bullet exited the gun and with the warning of feeling resolve to shoot in the man's aura – but he didn't want to reveal his less-than-normal abilities if he didn't have to.

" _Easy, Yuasa. I've cleared him. He's just a kid. He's also actually the one who acquired the item we'd like to sell,_ " Naoto soothed, gesturing for him to calm down.

Yuasa snorted, but holstered his gun. Phantom slumped in relief. He wouldn't have to get fancy to protect his secret. " _Fine. You always did have a soft spot. If he betrays us, it's on your head, Naoto._ "

" _He won't_ ," Naoto assured. " _Now, shall we move on to business?_ Phantom, take out the painting."

"Right," Phantom acquiesced. He fished the painting out of its bindings and held it up for the dealer to see.

Yuasa whistled and switched to English for Phantom's sake. "You've got quite a fine prize here, kiddo. Looks like a Clovis original."

"It is," Phantom confirmed. He'd stolen it straight from Clovis's studio while the man had been painting it; there was no way it wasn't authentic.

"Hmm," said Yuasa. "What are these smudges here?"

"The paint was still wet when I stole it."

Yuasa barked a laugh. "You stole it from straight under his nose? Impressive. However, given the damaged quality of the item, and the fact that I can't determine just by looking whether or not it's authentic… I'll give you five thousand pounds."

Naoto made a faint noise of protest. "That's a pittance!"

"Hey, you're also asking me to take on the risk of owning it until I find another buyer. Plus, I'll be taking on the burden of authenticating it. Five thousand is fair."

Phantom said, "That's fine. I'm not really looking for much money. I just want it off my hands." It was true. Danny was in danger so long as he had the painting. Well, more danger. He still had the soldiers looking for him to think about. Any money he got out of the transaction was just a bonus, in his opinion.

"In that case, do we have a deal?" Yuasa held out his hand to shake. Phantom took it unflinchingly and shook it firmly. "Excellent! In that case, let me get the money for you…" Yuasa shifted to the side to pull a briefcase into view. He popped it open and counted out a stack of bills. He held the money out for Phantom to take. "Here you go. All legit, all untraceable."

Phantom reverently took the stack of pounds. He had no idea what he'd even to with all this money; there wasn't anything in particular he wanted to buy. Well, he still needed to get ahold of some basic necessities, but it wasn't like his allowance from Ashford Academy couldn't cover those… Maybe he could donate most of it. The Japanese certainly needed all the resources they could get their hands on.

"Hey, Naoto, do you know of any charities for the Japanese I could donate this money to?" he asked. "I really don't need it."

Naoto raised an eyebrow. "There are a couple, but they operate in the local ghettos. The people in Shinjuku won't attack you, but some of the other ghettos aren't so friendly."

Phantom could only imagine how much attention he'd get if he walked around the ghettos flaunting so much money. Invisibility was such a game-changer. "I'll be okay. I just need to know where they are."

"Well, aren't you generous?" Yuasa said. His aura radiated curiosity. "You're a strange one. You know what? I'm feeling generous, myself. I'll throw in a little bonus for you. If you're wandering the ghettos, even disguised, I think you'll need it." He grabbed his gun and held it out to Phantom butt-first. "Here. You know how to use one of these?"

Phantom mutely shook his head. He'd seen them in action, and he'd used his parents' anti-ghost guns, but actual guns with bullets, he hadn't touched.

Yuasa snorted. "Of course. Why need it when you're Britannian?"

"I'm American, thanks," Phantom drawled. He was getting tired of being associated with the majority of Britannia's bigots. Tolerance was, unfortunately, the exception among Britannians, rather than the norm.

Yuasa cracked a smile. "You hate Britannia just as us Japanese do, don't you? Can't say I was expecting that from a Britannian. Sorry, an American," he corrected when he saw Phantom glaring. He shook the pistol. "Well, are you going to take it? I don't have all day."

Phantom gingerly took the gun and uneasily examined it. It felt heavy in his hand and in his mind, knowing that he could kill someone with the instrument he was holding. He was already a killer, thanks to the incident at the lab he'd arrived in – but that had been accidental. If he killed someone with this gun, it would be a conscious decision to point and shoot. Phantom felt queasy and resolved to never use it if he didn't have to.

"Naoto can show you how to use that," Yuasa said, mistaking his silence for awe. "You should be able to get ahold of ammo fairly easily at a gun shop in the Settlement. Now, I'll take the painting, thanks, and leave you gentlemen to it." Phantom handed him the painting. Yuasa took it and examined it closely, chuckling, before turning around and walking away.

Yuasa had exited the warehouse before Naoto spoke again. "I think he likes you. I've never seen him so generous with someone who looks like a Britannian. Guess you made an impression." Phantom wondered what kind of impression he'd made, if the man had been willing to give him his gun. "Want to learn how to use that?"

Phantom reluctantly said yes. Better for him to learn how to use it so he didn't accidentally shoot someone. So, he spent the next hour learning how to properly shoot the gun – a standard issue .45 caliber Glock pistol – and reload it. Naoto praised him on his accurate aim. It was only natural he'd have good aim, between using his parents' ecto-guns and his own ecto-blasts.

Finally, Naoto deemed him proficient in the gun's use. "I have some ammunition back at my place you can have," he said as they exited the warehouse and returned to his car.

"…Thanks," Phantom said. Then he realized he owed Naoto for his role in today's events. "You know what? Here." He handed Naoto one-fifth of the stack of money he'd been paid. "Consider it payment for setting up this meeting and bringing me here _and_ supplying me with bullets."

"If you insist," Naoto said with good humor, pocketing the thousand pounds. "Want me to drop you off at the edge of the ghetto after we get back to my place?"

"Please."

On the drive there, Naoto told him of the two charities that operated in the ghettos, run by Japanese: one in Saitama ghetto and one in Bunkyo ghetto. He suggested for Danny to go to the one in the Bunkyo ghetto, as it was safer and closer to the Settlement.

"You know what? Keep those clothes. They'll help keep you safe," Naoto said. "It's only fair; you've given me a large chunk of the money you rightfully earned."

"Thanks."

* * *

After collecting some ammunition from Naoto's apartment and sneaking back into the Settlement (with the bandana tucked into a pocket and the hood of the hoodie down; it wouldn't do to be mistaken for a delinquent by the police), Danny made it back to Ashford Academy just fine. He slid the newly acquired gun and bullets under his bed, determined to never use them. He hid the remaining four thousand pounds in his desk to be taken to the Bunkyo charity at a later date.

All in all, he felt it had been a successful weekend. He'd learned he was on the right track with investigating the Viceroy's Palace with regards to Code-R, protested Clovis's policies by stealing a painting, and acquired some money from selling that painting that could be used to help the Japanese populace at large.

There was a knock at his door. "Hey, Danny! You in there?" he heard Milly call.

"Yeah. What's up?"

"Where have you been all weekend? I've been looking everywhere for you!"

Danny sweated. He couldn't exactly say he'd broken into the Viceroy's Palace, stolen one of Prince Clovis's paintings, and then rendezvoused with a black market dealer to sell said painting. "I've been out exploring the city!" he replied. If you tilted your head to the side and squinted, it was technically true.

Danny could _feel_ Milly's pout from the other side of the door. "Aww! I wanted to take you out and show you my favorite parts of the city myself!"

Danny needed to fix this, fast, before Milly came up with some creative punishment. "Sorry, Milly! We could go out next weekend instead…?"

"Fine. Next weekend it is! You'd better not disappear on us again, Danny!" Milly threatened.

"Yes, Madame President!" Danny squeaked. When Milly was on a rampage, he'd learned, it was best to let her do her thing and then clean up whatever mess was left behind. She was that stubborn.

"Great!" Milly said cheerily, as if she hadn't just been implying that there would be dire consequences if Danny didn't comply with her plans. "See you on the front steps at 9:00 on Saturday, then!"

* * *

Sorry I wasn't able to update yesterday. I just needed a break from writing. I'll update The Thief later today.

-HM


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"C'mon! Hurry up, Danny!" Milly said, banging on Danny's door impatiently. "You promised we'd go explore the city this weekend!"

Danny groaned, comfortably nestled in his sheets and not wanting to move. He'd almost forgotten about that. And he had so been looking forward to sleeping in, too…

"Danny, if you don't come out, I'm going to have to come in~" Milly sing-songed, jiggling the handle to Danny's dorm room.

Danny yelped. "All right, woman! I'll be out in a minute!"

Milly heard the sounds of a crash inside and some muffled cursing. She giggled. Her boys were just so easy to motivate! All she needed was the proper leverage. A few minutes later, Danny emerged, his hair messy and his clothes (that T-shirt and jeans combo he seemed fond of) askew. He glared at her.

"Madame President, you're so cruel," he complained, attempting to straighten out his clothes.

Milly ruffled his hair, messing it up further. Danny batted her hands away. "Let's go! Everyone's waiting for us!"

"Everyone?" Danny said warily.

* * *

"Everyone" turned out to be the entire Student Council, plus Nunnally. They were all waiting at the entrance of the school for him. Shirley was holding a large picnic basket.

"About time you showed up," Rivalz teased before throwing an arm around Danny's shoulders. "Let's go! Operation Explore the City is a-go!" He dramatically pointed a finger beyond the gates.

Danny sighed, resigning himself to normal Student Council insanity. "Okay. Where to first?"

Their first stop was the park nearest to Ashford Academy. It was apparently Nunnally's favorite place to be off campus. It was rather tranquil, and there was a small garden attached to it that Nunnally enjoyed visiting. After visiting the garden, Nunnally parked her wheelchair under the shade of a tree and bade the rest of the group to enjoy themselves. Shirley and Nina lounged under the tree, talking happily with Nunnally. Milly roped Rivalz, Danny, and Lelouch into a game of Frisbee. Surprisingly, Lelouch actually did better than Danny thought he would, his hand-eye coordination and dexterity ensuring he caught most of the Frisbees thrown his way but his weaker strength making his throws rather pathetic. (Lelouch's ability to get out of gym class and his disdain of all things physical were legendary, for even a newcomer like Danny to have heard of it.) Milly and Rivalz teased Lelouch about his lack of physical strength, which he was able to take like a champ and dish back out verbal punishment in return. Danny felt like the awkward fifth wheel on the cart until Milly pulled him aside and ordered him to loosen up.

Around lunchtime, the group reconvened around Nunnally's wheelchair and had a picnic lunch which Shirley had so thoughtfully brought for them. The sandwiches were a bit dry but otherwise tasted just fine. Like the rest of the meals he'd eaten since entering this world, Danny relished the simplicity of eating something that wasn't either awful cafeteria food or tainted with ectoplasm from his parents' experiments.

"Where to now?" Danny asked once the last sandwich had been eaten.

"Well, it's up to you," Shirley explained. "We planned this outing especially to make you feel more comfortable around us."

Danny blushed, unused to such thoughtfulness from anyone besides Jazz, Sam, and Tucker. "What are my options?" he asked, self-consciously rubbing the back of his neck.

"There's a bunch of other parks and museums, like Tokyo Tower," Lelouch offered. "There's also the shopping center, the theater, the zoo…"

Each option brought up a memory of Danny, Sam, and Tucker hanging out at just those kinds of places (though they were usually interrupted by ghosts). Danny felt a rush of homesickness, and his face unconsciously settled into a pained expression.

"Hey," Milly said, poking him in the forehead, "No frowny faces today. We're out to have some fun!"

"Sorry," Danny said, smoothing out his expression. "Just reminded of something, that's all. Uh, I need to get some more clothes, so why not go to the shopping center?"

"…You don't actually have any clothes beyond your uniform and what you're wearing now," Lelouch deadpanned, frighteningly astute. "You literally just showed up at our doorstep with nothing but the clothes on your back, didn't you?"

"Is that true, Danny?" Nunnally asked, concerned.

Danny gulped, amazed that Lelouch had seen through him so easily. "Um, yes. But there's nothing to worry about! I have Ashford Academy now, and enough money to get some more stuff." He'd swapped out his American dollars, ID, and credit cards, which he hid under the floorboards in his dorm, for his shiny new Britannian ID (courtesy of Ruben Ashford) and Britannian pounds in his nondescript black wallet. Strangest of all, however, had been his cell phone, which, by all accounts, shouldn't have worked in an alternate universe, but which had immediately picked up the largest cell phone carrier in Area 11. Danny had paid for a monthly package, allowing him to communicate easily with his new friends, despite that they'd curiously never seen a cell phone quite like his before. But aside from his uniform sets, the clothes he was wearing, and some toiletries provided by Ashford Academy, Danny Fenton had nothing to his name.

Milly gasped. "Well, that is simply unacceptable. We will have to remedy that immediately! To the shopping center! Time to pick out some new clothes for Danny!"

Danny shrugged and allowed himself to be pulled along by his new friends. Sayoko, who had come with the group to look after Nunnally, took the wheelchair-bound girl back to Ashford. Britannian structures weren't terribly accommodating for the handicapped, and Nunnally didn't want to get in the way of their shopping trip.

"Do you want to talk about why you don't have anything?" Shirley offered kindly as they made their way to the shopping center.

"Yeah, I'm curious!" Rivalz added, earning himself an elbow in the ribs from Shirley for being insensitive.

"Thanks, but I'll pass," Danny said. It wasn't as though he could tell them that he'd been pulled from another universe; he just didn't trust them that much. Maybe it would put up a wall between them, but Danny wasn't supposed to be getting too attached, anyway. Despite the fact that they were doing nice things like actively trying to befriend him.

It turned out that the shopping center was nothing like the mall back home, more open air and less confined to one building. Danny gaped at the sheer size of the sprawling grounds. This place was definitely higher class than the mall back home.

"Okay! Let's start over here!" Milly directed them to a smaller store that specialized in men's clothing. When they entered, Danny could immediately tell that the clothes weren't really to his taste. For one, they were too formal, crisp button-downs and classy slacks hanging on the racks, and for two, by looking at a price tag, Danny could immediately tell they were way too expensive.

"Milly, I can't afford any of this stuff. Besides, I'd prefer something more casual," Danny protested as Milly and Shirley began rifling through the racks, debating about what would look best on Danny.

Milly waved off his concerns. " _I'll_ buy something for you from this place. You can't not have something formal to wear at Ashford."

Danny made a surprised noise in the back of his throat. "Are you sure, Madame President?"

"Of course! Shirley, tell him why he needs something formal."

"We put on a lot of events for the student body, and a fair number of those are formal. You can't be a recluse and just ignore all of them," Shirley chided.

"I'm sure you'd look nice in whatever you'd choose," Nina inputted shyly.

In the end, Danny wound up with a rich blue pressed button-down shirt that matched his eyes, a pair of black formal slacks, and a pair of nice black suede shoes (that he could also wear with his uniform). Milly happily paid for the purchases, smug that she'd been able to find an outfit that looked stunning on Danny, as agreed by the rest of the Student Council.

"Okay, now we can go find the clothes that make you look like a delinquent," Rivalz said teasingly, elbowing Danny lightly.

"I don't look like a delinquent," Danny protested even as he noticed that his clothes were considerably more casual and worn than those of his companions. The girls were wearing skirts, the boys weren't wearing jeans, and everybody but him was wearing a shirt that looked nice.

"I think there's a store than caters to the lower class in a few blocks," Lelouch said pensively. "I realize that more casual is what you'd prefer, but just be aware that people will look down on you for wearing clothes like that."

Danny shifted self-consciously. Britannia was a lot more classist than he was used to from back home. "I'll be fine. Besides, I can't really afford more expensive clothes right now anyway." Ruben had been fairly generous with the money he'd given to Danny, but it wouldn't be enough to stock his wardrobe with the more expensive clothes the students at the elite Ashford Academy seemed to prefer.

"Okay, it's your choice," Rivalz shrugged. "Alright, guys! To the general store!"

Danny relaxed as they entered Britannia's Walmart equivalent. He could get some polos, some T-shirts, and some jeans, all at an affordable price. Despite it being a place the higher-class Ashford Academy students wouldn't usually set foot in, Milly and Shirley appeared to be having fun helping Danny pick out outfits while Rivalz and Lelouch occasionally chipped in their two cents and Nina looked on nervously. Everything was fine until they made it to the checkout line.

"Damn Eleven! What are you doing here in the Settlement? You should just stay in the ghettos, where trash like you belongs!" Danny's head whipped around, and he saw a Japanese woman being harassed by a Britannian man. The woman was cowering and looked like she wanted to cry.

"B-but I need new clothes for my son—" she tried to reason.

"Your son can wear rags for all I care! I don't want to see the likes of you in a place like this!" the man shouted, grabbing the woman by the neck. "Now be a good little Eleven and scram!" The woman choked, and tears started pouring from her eyes.

Danny saw red and had to calm himself down before his glowing green eyes attracted notice. "Hold my stuff for me, guys?" he said distractedly as he slipped out of line toward the altercation. He barely noticed Lelouch following him.

He saw the man tighten his grip and before he had time to think, he was grabbing the man's arm in a crushing hold. Maybe it was a bit too strong for human capabilities, but it had the desired effect of the man gasping in pain and letting go of the woman.

"What do you think you're doing?" the man ground out, trying not to let his discomfort show on his face as he attempted to wrench his hand from Danny's grasp.

"What am I doing? What are _you_ doing? You're assaulting someone in the middle of broad daylight!" Danny said, aghast. Like the last time he'd intervened with someone's abuse of a Japanese person, a whispering crowd started to form. Danny still couldn't understand how these people could overlook the blatant disregard of human rights.

Then Lelouch stepped up, cool and unshakeable. "We're terribly sorry for the trouble," he said smoothly, tugging at Danny's arm in a signal for him to let go of the man. "This woman is a maid of ours. We apologize for any disruption on her behalf."

"You should get a better maid," the man sneered, but he looked unwilling to continue harassing the woman when she had Britannian backing. "Get her to stay out of Britannian shops!" he sniped as he walked away, pushing through the small ring of spectators.

"Are you alright?" he asked the puffy-eyed Japanese woman, who was looking at him as though she'd never seen anything quite like him before.

"Y-yes, I am, s-sir," she said formally, trying to control the quaver in her voice. "Thank you. P-please, let me pay you back."

"I'm good, thanks," Danny said as the woman started digging around in her purse, which thankfully hadn't been snatched as "reparations" by the angry man. "You don't need to give me anything."

"Here," Lelouch said, pulling out a twenty-pound note from his wallet. "To help with your son's clothing. Though I suggest you try a different shop to look in."

The woman stared wide-eyed at the note before making a hastily aborted bow. Britannians only bowed to nobility and not as a gesture of respect and gratitude. Lelouch held out the note, and the woman took it with trembling fingers.

"Be careful on your way back home," Lelouch warned as he turned to walk away, leaving the woman and the incredulous spectators behind. Danny stayed for a few more moments while the crowd dispersed, making sure that no one would get any ideas about taking the money or otherwise harassing the woman more, and rejoined his friends at the register.

"I can't believe I have to service a stinking Number-lover," the cashier muttered under her breath as she rang up Danny's purchases. Danny had to take a few calming breaths so that his eyes wouldn't flash green at the insult. Finally, they made it out of the shop in one piece.

"It angers you, doesn't it? How badly the Japanese are treated?" Lelouch asked as they started traveling back to Ashford Academy, since it was sundown and they had a curfew. Lelouch was the first Britannian Danny had heard calling the Japanese by their actual name instead of the demeaning Eleven. "You should be better about hiding it. You'll get into trouble one day defending them so recklessly."

"So I shouldn't defend them?" Danny asked coolly.

Lelouch shook his head. "That's not what I meant. You have to be more careful in how you stand up to people like that, otherwise you won't be able to stand up for them at all." Lelouch's words rang ominously like a lesson learned the hard way. He didn't look like he'd been physically injured, so maybe he'd angered someone higher up on the food chain?

"What if he'd been a noble? Then you'd _really_ be in trouble!" Milly piped up.

"A noble, in that store? Please," Rivalz pointed out. Danny shook his head. Even the _working class_ abused the Japanese instead of feeling compassion for them.

"It worked out okay. Let's not linger on something like this?" Shirley suggested. The others seemed to agree, but the way they looked at Danny seemed to have changed. Danny cheated and studied their auras: Milly and Rivalz seemed to think he'd done a good deed, Shirley's and Lelouch's opinion of him seemed to have risen, but Nina believed he shouldn't have done such a thing. The impression traced back to a deeply-rooted fear that was likely of the Japanese.

"It was very brave, what you did," Lelouch said lowly, bringing Danny's attention back to the physical world, as his other friends chattered about something related to school, determined to regain the lighthearted atmosphere that had dominated the rest of their trip. "It's good to know that other Britannians will stand up for the Japanese."

Danny had to bite his lip to keep from automatically firing back, "I'm American." Instead, he just nodded and took the praise as it was.

It was disappointing that their day out had to end on such a sour note. But at least Danny had gotten what he'd needed to last in this world.

But he wasn't the type to just sit back and live comfortably while other people were suffering. The Japanese people were being treated horrendously by the Britannian overlords. But what could he do…?

* * *

Welcome back to The Phantom after six long months! I'll be updating much more consistently from now on. Apologies for the wait!

I realize that this chapter is mostly filler, but I really wanted to show Danny's relationship with the members of the Student Council in a stress-free setting. Also wanted to show how Danny's building his life in Britannia and how he's reacting to the nationalist Britannian policies.

-HM


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